Deck paint

I used Brightside Polyurethene Kingston Grey, (mixed 50/50 with flattening agent for the final coat only), then stirred in crushed walnut shells. Rolled it on with a 6 inch roller. two of us first started cutting in together then when we had a good start I switched to the roller.
Did 2 coats with the "grit" then one coat without grit as it seemed too rough - but this was a mistake.
Do the best masking job you can - it takes a while but gives nice clean edges, looks very professional.
I got a good finish with a soft pearl type look, i.e. not too shiny but not completely flat. Not grippy enough though, I'm going to put one more coat on and this time I'll use the Interlux grit product.   

I just did mine on Voila 166. I used Dupont Imron MS 600, which is a 2-part polyurethane, but any 2-part PU will do. I sanded everything back using 80 grit on a 5" random orbital. Remove all hardware......all of it. Taking it off, no matter how time consuming you think it will be, is far better and faster than trying to mask it properly and you will never get a great job masking off and working around the little spaces.

I cut deep and went without a primer, but it is not recommended. Instead of priming I wiped everything down after sanding with acetone and clean clothes changing rags frequently. This only took about 20 minutes.

I used the non skid grits from Dupont. They are the same from anyone whether from Awlgrip or Interlux, or Sharksgrip from your local paint store. Only the marine suppliers have it in different grits where the Sharksgrip equates closely to the coarse grit from the marine paint companies. Crushed walnut is far too coarse and more applicable to use on boarding planks, public outdoor decks, etc.

I mix in 24 oz batches. To 24 oz of mixed paint, I used two level tablespoons of the medium grit, to one tablespoon of the coarse grit. I rolled with 3" rollers and treated them as disposable. They cost only about $2.75 each which is cheaper than the thinners necessary to clean them, plus you then have to dispose of the thinner. Acetone works, but better to just chuck the roller. I found a 6" roller was not controllable in the smaller spaces, where I also used a cheap 1 1/2"" brush to cut-in.

The main experience I can pass on to get a good job, is to not use a conventional rolling pan. It's slope has grooves on it which trap grit, so that when you roll out the excess paint on that sloped surface, the roller will pick up an uncontrollable amount of grit which will translate into uneven distribution of the grit on the deck. Use an old pyrex backing dish and prop up one end a little so that it slopes. This has a smooth bottom and will not trap grit. Ask your helper to keep stirring the material with the cut-in brush, or do it yourself every single time before you dip the roller into the paint.

With the first coat I used no flattening agent, and with the second coat I used the flattening agent mixed 1 part to 2 parts of the colored paint. To this final coat I did add one tablespoon of medium grit only, but I don't think it was necessary.

The above method provided excellent results and far better uniformity than jobs I have seen using the recommended method of rolling and then sprinkling the grit onto the surface, to be blown off after the paint drys and then over coated with a locking coat. I did not like the results of what I saw.

Also, I suggest you remove your anchor hatch door, and perhaps your lazerette covers in the cockpit, and experiment with your technique on the ground with these. If you don't like the results, you can quickly wipe it off with a rag and start again.

I think that any of the single part deck paints work well also, but cannot last as long. The real time and effort is in the preparation and after going through all that, I personally would use the most durable paint I could get........2-part PU.

If you are game, I would not be afraid of spraying this material. That will produce the best result of all. If using the 2-part, you then must be conscious of the health issues. I got away with using an organic filter on a half face mask and a pre filter all from 3M. I used this whenever I worked with the 2-parts whether rolling or spraying, though fresh air supply breathing equipment is highly recommended for spraying. I used only the mask.

One other thing. Use only a good masking tape from 3M and depending on your conditions I suggest the blue color. Put it on, get the painting done, and then remove it as early as possible and try to prevent it's exposure to moisture. If not you will vastly increase the time required to remove the tape and all the adhesive it will leave behind.

Good Luck!

Sounds pretty good. I have heard that the Kiwi Grip product is very good and did consider using it, but I have historical experience using 2-part PU's and so went with that. Also, because I refinished the entire boat and sprayed the smooth finish areas to the deck with the Imron PU, so it made sense just to use the same material and color and roll on the non skid portions after spraying the other areas. This keeps all my materials the same and compatible. Plus, the Kiwi grip relies on roller and roller technique to get the texture and I did not have time to go through an experimental level as it was getting too late in the season where I was working on my boat which was in Whistler, BC. As it was, I had the temperature drop to -6C one within hours of having applied one of my final coats and together with the dew that accumulated, it severely dulled out the entire surface, causing me to have to recoat a second locking coat, hense the use of some grit in that last coat, because two locking coats may have taken away too much of the grip's effectiveness.

Anyway, it seems to me that you have given it a lot of thought, and I did consider using something of what you are considering. If only using a pattern-type non-skid,I suppose you could considering using one of several non skid tapes, many of which are on the market, including those that are transparent and would allow the deck color to come through. Some of these tapes are really designed for outdoor use in public areas and are very long wearing and robust. 3M makes a line of these tapes, but if you investigate over the net, you will find others. I recently researched this subject because I used a polished concrete in the floor finishes of a home I recently constructed and wanted a decent permanent non skid applied in patterns within the shower areas. The product was good, but looked a bit too industrial against the other finish surfaces of this $10 million dollar house, so I did not use it in the end. I bought it from a company, not 3M in transparent, 2" width at about $29/per roll. I forget the length of the roll, but Google researching will turn up a lot on this type of material.

Absolutely the best and most professional looking result will come from prepping everything, then spraying the gloss areas first followed immediately by masking those off and spraying the nonskid also. Hands down, that will provide the best looking job of it. To which I must say, my deck looks great. To the one who did it, you will be much more critical of your work when the decks is first done. Then it gets recovered with hardware, control lines, all the operating blocks and tackle, then sits outside, and if you race it is trodden all over regularly by crew, etc. On a sailboat the deck is a working surface and soon you won't notice if it was painted by Michael Angelo or the Three Stooges. That may be a bit of an exaggeration, but there is some substance to it.

By-the-way, the most difficult challenge using light paint and spraying may have come from access, lighting, and surface visibility particularly on the vertical surfaces to the cockpit area. The footwell is narrow and even with with natural daylight you will not easily be able to judge how much paint you are applying to the side walls down there potentially leading to runs or thin spots. I don't know how I would overcome that again. Perhaps by using artificial light added to outdoor natural light. I never anticipated that challenge, and don't remember having been so troubled by it the last time I did this back in Hong Kong in the early 80's. Those verticals together with inside corners were very tricky to spray. On the other hand, for the same reason you cannot see well in those areas when down on hands and knees during painting, neither can guests or crew when conducting themselves normally while using the looking at the boat. No one else knows the flaws that I know are there.

A good reason to use the Imron MS 600, or Awlcraft 2000 instead of Awlgrip or Interlux Perfection, is that with the first two you can sand out flaws with 600, 1200, 2500, 3000, then buff to perfection, as where with Awlgrip or Perfection that is not possible. You can even sand and locally respray an area and then sand out the surrounding fog, or line where you have masked off and make the evidence go away. The first two paints are therefore repairable now and in the future, where the others are not.